In the past ten years, I lost a life-long dream of riding on the United States Equestrian Team, I sustained a traumatic brain injury, and I was forced to relearn to read, write, walk, and talk again. Sometime later, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.
I faced numerous access denials with the very canine assistant who made life bearable again and was often turned away from businesses and shopping centers, forced to return back to the prison of my disabilities. Because of lack of awareness of service dogs and invisible disabilities, I’ve been made fun of by children, and sneered and snickered at by adults when in public with the very thing that made it possible for me to get out into the world again.
After overcoming overwhelming odds, I became pregnant with the child I’d yearned for, yet was told would be impossible due to medical complications. The man who I’d pledged my heart and life to abandoned me in my pregnancy and I was forced to embark on parenthood alone, without support.
In October of 2006, I sustained a brutal attack from a drunken family member and endured threats and harassment that caused me to lose my home and become homeless with a (then three-year-old) child and my service dogs.
Whew! That sure was a big hill to climb! Let’s put a positive spin on this, shall we?
I’ve learned so much through the adversity that I’ve faced in my life. I’ve had more than my share, that’s for sure! But that’s the good news. That’s right! I know from what the bible tells me that everything that has been taken from me will come back to me double.
More than that, my faith, my self-confidence, and my sense of self have been strengthened through my adversity. In retrospect, I see that this journey has afforded me many opportunities that I otherwise would’ve missed out on; and I wouldn’t change that for the world.
God doesn’t give us more than we can handle, right? Well, I don’t think God makes bad things happen; the sin of the world does that. But God does use our challenges to His great plan for us. God allows us to go through things in order to “mold” us and shape us into better people using the challenges that confront us. Many times, we resist such molding because change is difficult, and we get very comfortable in our lives. But life is not about being comfortable! No, it’s about stretching and challenging ourselves to grow, and God allows challenges to do that.
PREVIOUS PAGE
